


Never An Absolution

by Xqueenie



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Biting/Marking, F/M, First Time, Forbidden Love, I could recite the lines from this movie in my sleep, Titanic AU, fuck you James Cameron, no one dies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-08
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-11-11 07:40:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11143914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xqueenie/pseuds/Xqueenie
Summary: "I can still smell the fresh paint. The China had never been used. The sheets had never been slept in. Titanic was called 'The Ship of Dreams'. And it was. It really was."





	Never An Absolution

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all, and welcome to my Reylo version of Titanic, with a small twist~
> 
> Titanic is my all-time favorite movie, and I've always wanted to do a rewritten story with this movie as the premise. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!
> 
> This fic also comes with [a fanart I drew~](http://xandraqueen.tumblr.com/post/161586511711)
> 
> Don't forget to follow me! [Tumblr](http://xandraqueen.tumblr.com) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/XandraQueen)

###  **The Docks**

April 10, 1912. The docks of Southampton, England were swarming with people from all walks of life enjoying the near-midday sun on this fine sailing day. In the harbor, eagerly awaiting her maiden voyage, was the superb mass of refined steel and luxury that was the _Titanic_. The sunlight gleamed off her pristine white and obsidian black hull as a Renault Touring Car swung from a loading crane towards a loading hatch.

The crowd parted to allow two automobiles to pull up to the dock. Around the handsome cars, people poured past hustling seamen, stokers, porters, and barking White Star Line officers to board the mighty ship. The driver hopped down from his seat and hurried to open the car’s door for a young man.

He seemed to grow as he exited the car. He squared his shoulders, adjusting his gray suit jacket as he righted himself. He was perfectly groomed, hair tucked neatly into a wide-brimmed traveling hat. He turned his intense gaze up to the ship; a regal yet somewhat contemptuous look was in his piercing brown eyes.

“I don’t see what the fuss is all about,” he said. “It doesn’t look any bigger than the _Mauretania_.”

A personal valet opened the door on the other side of the car, allowing out another man—just as tall as the first, but with a much slighter frame. He lifted his bowler cap from his head, exposing hair red as fire. He appeared to be handsome, arrogant, and definitely rich beyond meaning. His green eyes regarded his traveling companion with a slightly amused look.

“You can be blasé about some things, Ben, but not about _Titanic_ . It’s over a hundred feet longer than _Mauretania_ , and far more luxurious...” He trailed off as Ben began to wander toward the line of people boarding the ship. He turned back to the car to lend a hand to its final passenger: an older woman, her hair braided very intricately and pinned to her head. She wore a stunning deep blue dress, and though she was very small compared to the two men, her posture commanded the respect one would most likely reserve to royalty.

“Your son is far too difficult to impress, Leia.”

Leia cocked an eyebrow at the ginger man as she stepped down out of the car. “Better get used to that, Mr. Hux.” He nodded amusedly at her, and she turned her eyes to the leviathan ship. “So this is the ship they say is unsinkable?”

“It _is_ unsinkable,” Hux stated proudly, as if he’d had a position of his own in building it. “God Himself couldn’t sink this ship!”

Ben tucked his hands into his pants pockets, looking up again at the gigantic ship. Behind him, Hux is handling the care of their luggage, entrusting the porter with his personal bodyguard, a large woman by the name of Gwendoline Phasma (whom had once beat Ben in an arm-wrestling match; she scared him sometimes). The people around him were marvelling at this “unsinkable” wonder. To all of them, _Titanic_ was the ship of dreams, a thing straight out of a daytime fantasy.

But to Ben, it was a slave ship, taking him back to America in chains.

Hux pressed a hand to Ben’s arm, a silent reminder. Possessive as he was, he of course must keep up appearances. Ben kept his head down, looking at the water far beneath them. What if he could…just…jump?

Several blocks away, _Titanic_ could be seen through the dingy windows of a smoke-filled pub. Just beside the front window, a poker game was in progress. In the pot was a mountain of change, a pocket watch, and two Third Class tickets for the maiden voyage of the _Titanic_. Four people sat round the table, all of them different, from different places.

“All right, moment of truth,” said the one woman at the table.

A scoundrel though she seemed to be, a delightful twinkle in her eye revealed more than her rough exterior.

“Someone’s life’s about to change.” She nodded at the man directly across from her. “Olaf?” He put his cards on the table, revealing… “Nothing. Finn?”

She nodded at her friend next to her, and he put down his cards with a sour expression. “Sorry, Rey. Nothing.”

Rey kept her face very tight and emotionless. “How about you, Sven?”

Sven broke his poker face, smirking as he laid his own cards on the table.

“Shit, two pair.” Rey sighed, shaking her head at Finn. “I’m sorry, Finn.”

Finn looked alarmed. “What—Rey, you didn’t bet all our money, did you—?!”

She cut him off, “I’m sorry! We’re not gonna make the performance at the Globe this weekend.” Finn’s expression melted from alarm to confusion, and Rey finally let down her poker face into a grin, slamming her cards on the table. “Cos we’re going to _America!_ Full house, boys!” She let out an excited whoop, and Finn shouted happily, grabbing the tickets and kissing them like a lifeline. Olaf balled up a fist, swinging to the side and punching Sven in the teeth, shouting at him in Swedish.

“America!” Finn shouted, “Rey, I’m going home!”

Rey laughed and hugged her friend, then jumped up on her chair and proclaimed to the entire pub, “We are going to Americaaaa!”

“Naw, missy!” the pubkeep shouted back, “ _Titanic_ is going to America, in five minutes!”

Finn and Rey exchanged a look of horror. Rey then climbed off the table and began helping Finn scoop their winnings into one of their bags. No sooner had the last penny fallen in then they took off running down the pier.

“We’re riding in high style now!” Rey shouted as they tore through the crowd. “We’re practically goddamned royalty!”

“See, I told you!” Finn shouted back, “It’s a sign, it’s my destiny! I have to go back to America to become a millionaire!” In his daydream, he nearly ran into a horse and cart.

Rey laughed at him. “Bloody moron!”

 _Titanic_ was the biggest ship Rey had ever seen. It was apparently the biggest one that had ever been built, and out of dumb luck, she and her friend had won the ticket of a lifetime. They made it just in time, and a slightly irritated and rushed officer let them on with hardly a question. Before heading down to their room, Rey pulled Finn up onto the deck of the remarkable ship and jumped onto the rail. She waved her arm frantically, yelling at the crowd on the dock.

Finn laughed. “You know somebody?”

She grinned at him. “Of course not, that’s not the point!” She turned back to shout her farewells at the crowd of strangers below, and Finn joined her. “Goodbye! I’ll miss you!”

“I’ll never forget you!” Finn yelled.

 _Titanic_ set sail, cutting through the waters in the port, steaming towards the most memorable voyage in history.

* * *

 

###  **First Look**

By the next afternoon, they had made their final stop and were steaming west from the coast of Ireland, with nothing out ahead of them but ocean.

Ben was glaring at his salad fork, desperately waiting for the right moment to jab the damned thing in his eye. If he had to listen to another one of Hux’s stuffy, boring, society brat stories, he swore he would do it. At least his mother had enough practice with schmoozing the upper class for the both of them, or Ben would have screwed their lives up long ago. It was always something: he had too much of a temper, or he didn’t have good manners, or he didn’t speak respectfully enough, or blah, blah, blah. It stressed him out. He sat back in his chair and pulled a cigarette from his suit pocket, lighting it gingerly. He managed to take a drag before his mother noticed.

She leaned forward and whispered gently but sternly, “You know I don’t like that, Ben.”

Ben loved his mother, but he needed this. He proceeded to blow the smoke towards her face. She suppressed a cough and sat back, staring at him coldly. Hux leaned over to pull the cigarette from Ben’s fingers.

“He knows.” He stubbed the cigarette out, then turned as the waiter approached him. He missed the particularly dirty look Ben gave him. He smiled thinly at the waiter, then proceeded to order for the both of them: “We’ll both have the lamb; rare, with very little mint sauce.” Finally, he looked back at Ben. “You like lamb, right, darling?”

Ben gave him a sarcastic smile, then went back to frowning at his forks. He hated lamb. Always hated it. So no, he didn’t want rare lamb with mint sauce, he wanted a fucking steak with a baked potato with butter smeared all over both of them. He wanted to eat it all right in front of all of those prissy society people like a goddamn man.

He was shaken out of his thoughts by his mother, who spoke directly to Hux: “You going to cut his meat for him too, Armitage?” Ben couldn’t help a small smile. He loved his mother. She quickly went on to change the subject, and Ben quietly excused himself, pressing a kiss to her cheek as he got up.

Out on the deck, Rey sat on a bench in the glowing afternoon sun. _Titanic_ ’s wake spread out behind them to the horizon. She had her eyes on a pair of passengers: a father and a daughter, leaned over the rail. The father had his daughter’s hand in his, telling her fables about the waves and how they were made.

Rey had her knees pulled up, supporting a leather-bound sketch book, her only prized possession in the world. Her hand moved quickly, each stroke of her pencil placed to freeze a perfect snapshot of these two passengers. Finn leaned over her shoulder, nodding appreciatively at her work. The man he’d been chatting with, who’d introduced himself as Poe Dameron, leaned over the edge of the bench, glancing at Rey’s book.

“Those are fantastic,” Poe said. “You make any money off your drawings?”

Rey was about to answer, when something—or, rather, someone—caught her eye. Her eyes went to the higher deck, and any and all words escaped her.

A man had come to lean on the rails of the B deck promenade, the most gorgeous man Rey had ever seen. He looked like a young god, disinterested in the mortal world. His black suit hung on him perfectly. But he seemed so uncomfortable wearing it, like he was wearing a collar and chain instead of a tie. His hair shone in the sun, long and definitely well-cared for. He folded his large hands together as his eyes scanned the horizon. As his gaze wandered, he locked eyes with Rey.

They weren’t sixty feet apart, but there was a valley between them. Rey didn’t look away from him, but he did, if only for a second. Then, he looked right back at her. Their gaze was the only bridge over an ocean between their two worlds.

Then, suddenly, it broke as a ginger-haired man came up behind him and grabbed his arm. They argued for a moment, over something Rey couldn’t hear, then the dark-haired one stormed off. But Rey didn’t miss him glance over his shoulder at her at the last second.

She kept staring at him, even as Finn waved his hand in front of her eyes. “Helloooo? Rey?”

She snapped out of it, looking at the two awaiting her answer. “What?”

Poe chuckled and patted her shoulder. “Ah, forget it, girl. You’d sooner have angels fly out of your ass then get next to the likes of him.”

Rey sighed and looked down at her sketch.

* * *

 

###  **You Jump, I Jump**

That night at dinner, Ben was in the same position he was at lunch. He was surrounded by the same people, the words they were saying blurring together. Did he really need to pay attention? It was always the same narrow people, the same mindless chatter. None of it ever made a difference.

Suddenly, he saw his whole life as if he’d already lived it: an endless parade of parties and cotillions, yachts and polo matches. Business and politics and the constant battle to climb the social ladder. He never wanted this. It was like he was standing at the edge of a great precipice, with no one to pull him back. No one who cared.

Or even noticed.

He didn’t remember getting up from the table. He didn’t remember making it back to the stateroom. He was just suddenly there, with no one else around him. He was alone, but it was more than just that. No one cared.

With shaking hands, he tried to get his bowtie off. The damned thing fought him, refusing to come apart. His fragile composure shattered, and he let out a yell as he ripped the damn thing off his neck. His anger didn’t stop there. He shoved a chair over in the sitting room, hurled pillows against the wall, pushed everything off the dresser, and grabbed the edge of the vanity so hard the whole thing shook and groaned. He met his own gaze in the mirror, and it was vacant. His hair was wild and the look on his face was feral, but his eyes betrayed his inner emptiness. They were dull, and suddenly they became resigned. This was it, this was the edge, and no one was pulling him back.

The next thing he knew, he was running. He stumbled along the deck, shaking with so many emotions he couldn’t possibly sort them out. His cheeks were wet, but he didn’t register it was because he was crying. It had been years since he’d cried.

Ben stopped at the last set of rails before the stern deck, doubling over the top bar. This was the point of no return, no going back now. He moved like a man possessed, opening the door to the furthermost deck and not bothering to shut it behind him as he descended the stairs. His ears seemed to ring as the chilling wind poured across the deck, welling around him and seeming to guide him as he floated toward the back rail of the ship. The icy cold metal of the rail on his palms sent a shiver through him as he gripped it to look over the stern.

It was a terrifying drop to the sea, but Ben’s head was swimming as he looked down. He was shaking so hard it was a miracle he didn’t slip off before he got himself on the outside of the rail. He leaned out, arms straightening, hypnotized as he gazed into the vortex below.

“Don’t do it.”

The voice behind him suddenly startled him, and he gripped the rail tighter. He whipped around, and it took a second for his eyes to focus.

Was it possible that she was the girl he’d seen earlier? She must have been. He recognized her remarkable eyes. She was bundled up in a long wool coat, her arm extended out to him.

“Take my hand, I’ll help you back over.” It seemed ludicrous, seeing as he was at least a head taller and had a good eighty pounds on her.

“No!” He said, trying to keep his voice steady, “Stay where you are.” She furrowed her eyebrows at him, taking a step closer, and his hand hesitated on the bars as he turned back around. “I mean it! I’ll let go.”

The girl hazarded another step, and Ben prepared to release his grip. “No, you won’t.”

“Yes, I—” he turned back to look at her. “What do you mean ‘no, I won’t’? You don’t know me, don’t presume to tell me what I will and won’t do!”

She shrugged. “Well…you would have done it already, wouldn’t you?”

Confused, Ben looked her up and down, then turned back to the water. “You’re distracting me, go away.”

The girl sighed. “I can’t. I'm involved now. You jump, and I’m gonna have to jump in there after you.” She shucked her coat, tossing it to the deck, then started on removing her shoes.

“Don’t be stupid,” he scoffed, “I’m much bigger than you. You’ll be killed.”

“I'm stronger than I look. Good swimmer, too.” She pulled off her first boot and then started unlacing the second. “Frankly, I'm a little more worried about that water being so cold.”

“...how cold?”

She shrugged, glancing up at him. “Freezing. Maybe a couple degrees over. Went to Finland once, fell through some thin ice. And I'm telling you, water that cold?” She nodded at the water over the stern. “Hits you like a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body. You can't breathe, can't think— well, at least not about anything but the pain.” She sighed and went back to unlacing her boot. “Which is why I'm not looking forward to jumping in there after you.”

Ben was confused. The haze he'd been in dissipated, and suddenly he was turning around to face her. She looked up at him as she pulled her second shoe off. “Which…is kinda why I'm hoping you'll come back over the rail and let me off the hook here.”

Maybe he was going mad, but Ben cracked the tiniest of smiles. “...Who the hell are you?”

“Name’s Rey.” She smiled at him, sticking her hands in the pockets of her dress.

“No last name?”

She shrugged. “Not that I've ever known. What's your name?”

“...Benjamin Organa.”

Rey chuckled as she shook his hand tightly. “Might have to get you to write that one down for me.” Ben let out a nervous laugh, then Rey began to help him back over the rail.

Just when he thought he was over, his shoe slipped.

He let out a scream in a combination of terror and pain as he dropped to the second to last bar, his free arm catching it. Rey clung to his other arm, leaning all her weight back to keep him from going over, but his flailing legs weren't helping.

“OW!” He screamed out into the open air of the quiet night. His cries grew to a panic. “Shit! Shit! SHIT!”

“Calm down!” Rey shouted, “Calm down, Benjamin, look at me!” He stopped kicking, looking up at her, terrified. She took a deep breath and gripped the rail, which she was now leaning over. “Listen to me, I've got you. But I need you to give me your other hand.”

“Are you crazy?!” he shouted, “We’ll both go over!”

“No, we won't! I promise.” She kept her voice steady and calm, hoping to keep him from panicking too much. “Trust me. I've got you. Now give me your other hand!”

Certain he was actually going to die now that he didn't want to, Ben took the biggest leap of faith of his life and threw up his other hand to latch onto Rey’s arm. She groaned in pain, then used all the force she had to lean back, pulling him up and over the rail. When he was over, she stumbled backwards and he fell on top of her. He pushed himself up on the balls of his palms, making sure he hadn't crushed her, but she was laughing. It was probably the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. And even if he’d seen something more beautiful, he couldn’t think of it.

Their eyes met like they had earlier that day, and all of the dark, complicated emotions he’d been feeling before evaporated. They left behind one emotion that Ben didn’t recognize. It swelled in his chest, burned in his cheeks, and pulled at the edges of his mouth.

Rey gave him an odd look. “Um…Benny?”

Ben chuckled. “Call me Ben.”

“Ben, then,” Rey glanced down, “My uh…feet are getting cold.”

“Yeah! Right. Sorry.” He began to help her up, holding her to her feet.

Once her shoes and coat were back on, Rey walked Ben back to the staircase in silence. He wanted to thank her. Or say _something_ at least, but nothing would come out. Rey stopped at the bottom of the stairs, but Ben only stopped at the top. He turned back around to look at her, and there it was again: the valley between their two worlds. Mere feet apart, yet worlds away, and each of them waiting for the other to bridge the growing gap between them.

Ben was the only one to break the silence. “...Thank you.”

Rey nodded at him, smiling as she slipped her hands into her coat pockets. She said nothing, feeling that there was nothing that needed saying.

* * *

 

###  **The Heart of the Ocean**

Thankfully, his mother had gone to bed before Ben made it back to the stateroom. Someone had righted the chairs he’d knocked over, and put back all the things he’d thrown around. He couldn’t bring himself to feel remorse for having a tantrum; he’d been holding that in for a very long time. He went to his room to sit down on the bed, burying his face in his hands with a sigh.

A knock came at the door, and Ben mumbled a half-hearted “Come in.” In stepped Hux, in nothing more than a dressing gown, with a box under his arm.

“The gentlemen were asking about you after supper. Where did you go?”

“On a walk.” Ben answered plainly, “What’s it to them?”

“You might find this hard to believe, dearest, but some of them actually quite enjoy your company.”

Ben sneered at the endearment, “Oh, drop the nicknames, Hux. We both know this stupid wedding is a political move.”

“And?” Hux moved to sit on the bed next to his intended. “Does that mean I cannot at least try to win your affections? Or at least some sort of…I don’t know, fondness?” When Ben only snorted in response, Hux sighed and offered him the box. “Well, I suppose this gift is wasted on you, then?”

“...The hell is it?” Ben took the box, and upon opening it, found the biggest blue rock he’d ever seen, cut in the shape of a heart and hanging on a chain encrusted with diamonds. “Holy fuck, what—”

“Remarkable, isn’t it?”

“...It’s a necklace, Armitage.”

Hux rolled his eyes and took the necklace out of the box. “It’s not just a necklace, Benjamin. Here.” he draped it around Ben’s neck, and Ben didn’t feel the least bit comfortable. “It’s 56 carats of the rarest diamond on earth, worn by Louis XVI. They called it _Le Cœur de l’Océan,_ the—”

“The Heart of the Ocean.” Ben lifted the stone, looking at it. “It’s ridiculous, Hux.”

“It’s for royalty.” Hux stood from the bed and set his hands on Ben’s shoulders. “And we _are_ royalty, Ben.”

No wonder he acted like a princess. Ben could have laughed, but the seriousness in Hux’s voice scared him a little. This man actually believed that. Ben could feel the cold metal of the necklace’s chain constricting around his throat like a hungry snake, threatening to devour him. It was getting harder to breathe, and he could have sworn the chain was getting tighter around his neck.

Soon it would choke him out.

* * *

 

###  **Spit Like a Man**

The next morning, Ben went out on the boat deck. Everything felt different, the air, the sunlight— he felt like he was feeling the sun for the first time in years.

Then, on the deck below him, he saw Rey again. She was sitting on a deck chair, bent over a book of some sort. Without a second thought, Ben hurried to the stairs and descended to the lower deck.

“Hey.”

Rey jumped as he greeted her, snapping her book shut. “Oh, hey!” She stood from her chair, looking up at him. “Ben! Good to see you again.”

“And you.”

“So what on Earth brought you to grace us lowly steerage rats with your presence, Your Highness?”

Ben cracked a smile; _God, she’s perfect_. “I, uh…I feel like an idiot. I should have thanked you properly last night.”

“No thanks needed,” she said, shaking her head. “I was just doing what any decent person would’ve done.”

Ben sighed, and Rey followed him as he moved to lean against the ship’s outer railing. “Look, I know what you’re thinking. ‘Poor rich man, what could he possibly know about misery?’”

Rey shook her head, “That’s not what I was thinking at all. What I was thinking was: ‘What could have happened to this guy to make him think he had no other way out?’”

Ben looked at her, surprised at her unexpected reaction. For some reason, it made him blurt out exactly what he had been thinking. “It was everything. It was…their whole world, and all the people in it. And I was trapped, like an insect in amber.” The more he spoke, the more things poured out of him, like a sprung leak widening into a gushing stream. “Everything was moving so fast, taking me with it— and my idiotic emotions, tearing me apart. And I felt like I was standing in the middle of a crowded room, screaming at the top of my lungs, and no one even looks up! And I’m supposed to be getting married, but I don’t want to marry him, but I’m expected to, you know?”

“I really don’t.” Rey laid a hand on his arm. “I don’t know what that’s like. Do you at least love the guy?”

Last night, Ben admitted that he didn’t. But that was personal; why should he tell this girl he’d hardly met? “That’s complicated.”

Rey crossed her arms, leaning on the rail next to Ben. “Is it, though?”

He gave her a weird look.

“I mean, you feel like you’re stuck on a train that you can’t get off, right? Because you have to marry this guy?”

“Yeah...” Ben was curious to see where she was going with this.

Rey shrugged. “So don’t marry him.”

Ben snorted. “It really isn’t that simple. If you knew my world, you’d know.”

“Guess you’re right, I won’t understand,” she sighed. “It just seems to me like you’d be happier if you weren’t with him.”

Silent seconds passed, both of them watching the sunlight glinting off the waves a hundred feet below. Suddenly something occurred to Ben, entirely out of the blue.

“...Would you like to come to dinner?”

She looked at him, surprised. “Pardon?”

“Dinner.” Ben turned to look at her. “I feel like right jackass for leaving you last night, and…I dunno, maybe this will make up for it?”

“Ben, you don’t have to—”

“I want to,” he cut her off, meeting her gaze with absolute certainty.

How on earth was she going to pass up a chance to have dinner in First Class? “Well…if you insist—damn!” She’d shifted her book just a little and it slid out from under her arm, a few of the drawings scattering across the deck. She rushed to grab them, and Ben automatically bent to help, holding up a drawing so he could see. It was a remarkably lifelike sketch of a woman feeding her child. The next page was a beautifully detailed sketch of a pair of strong, calloused hands.

“Holy shit,” Ben uttered, handing Rey the drawings back as she scrambled to put them back in her book. “Did you draw those?”

“Yeah, I kinda dabble.”

“Dabble? These are _fantastic—_ may I?” He indicated the book, and she handed it over sheepishly. Ben sat on a deck chair, flipping through the drawings. “Rey, this is…exquisite work.”

She shrugged as she sat on a chair facing him. “They didn’t think that much of them in ole Pear-ee.”

“Paris?” Ben raised his eyebrows. “You sure get around for a p—” He cleared his throat. “For, uh, a person of limited means.”

Rey laughed. “No need to be proper. I’m poor, you can say it.”

When he flipped the next page, he came upon something even more surprising: a series of nudes. Men and women alike, all possessing a languid beauty Ben had never seen captured on paper before. The models look soulful; real, with expressive hands and eyes. They were more intimate portraits than studies of the human form. Ben glanced at a passerby, and raised the book to avoid showing what he was looking at.

“Well, well,” he said awkwardly. Rey blushed, chuckling and hanging her head as he continued to look at her nude work, “Were these...drawn from life?”

Rey nodded, a lopsided grin on her face, “Yep. One of the great things about Paris; lots of people willing to take their clothes off.”

Ben snorted a laugh and flipped the page again. “There he is again…you must’ve liked this guy, you’ve drawn him several times.”

“Well, he had really nice hands, see?” Rey turned the page again, showing him a drawing of the man’s hands.

“Nice hands,” Ben said, teasing now. “I’ll bet he _did_ have nice hands.”

Rey rolled her eyes, smiling. “Nice for drawing, that's it. He preferred men.”

“Good for him.”

“And this lady,” Rey said, showing him another one, of a woman sitting at a bar, “I called her Madame Bijou. She used to sit at this bar every night, wearing every piece of jewelry she owned, just waiting for her long lost love.”

Ben wasn't looking at the drawing anymore. “You have a gift, Rey. You see people.”

She smiled warmly at him. “I see you.”

Ben chuckled, lifting his head a little. “And?”

Rey’s smile turned into a grin. “You wouldn't have jumped.”

Ben was stricken by this young woman's intellect and insight. She really could see him, the real him, someone he'd been out of touch with for a very long time. She saw him just as easily as he could see the waves or the deck or the people walking by. It was remarkable. He closed her sketch book, handing it back to her.

They kept talking, meandering from the forward deck aft, nearer to where they first met. Chatting away about anything and everything, their words carried away on the sea breeze. The sky was soft orange by the time they found themselves at the aft boat deck.

“I spent a good amount of time in California a few years back,” Rey was saying, “Worked on a squid boat in Monterey, then I did portraits on the boardwalk in Santa Monica for ten cents apiece.”

“Damn, I want to be like you. Just up and…” Ben gestured to the setting sun, “head out for the horizon whenever I feel like it. Poor, but happy and free.” And beautiful. And brilliant. And so many other things. “Say we’ll go to that pier someday, even if we only just talk about it.”

“Why not?” Rey grinned at him, “We’ll do it! We’ll drink cheap beer, ride the roller coaster till we throw up—oh! And we’ll ride horses, right in the surf.” She laughed, nudging him, “But no sidesaddle, all right, princess?”

Ben laughed, nudging her back. “All right, no sidesaddle. I’ll ride like a man.”

In a ridiculous hick accent, Rey joked at him, “And chew tobacco like a man.”

Still laughing, he emulated that stupid accent, “And… _spit_ like a man!”

Rey snorted. “What, they didn’t teach you that at Princeton?”

“No!”

“...well, first lesson starts now, princess, come on.” Rey dragged him over to a separate part of the deck, ignoring his protests. “Watch this.” She arched her back and spat wide over the water.

“Okay, that’s disgusting.”

“Come on!”

After a moment’s hesitation Ben screwed up his mouth and spat. A pathetic little bit of foamy spittle ran down most of his chin before hitting the water.

“Aw, that was pitiful! Use your whole body this time, really try to hawk it back, like this,” She snorted, arched again, and let another one fly. “There, see the range on that one?”

This was the most hideous thing Ben had ever done, but he had never had more fun in his entire life. He nodded and hawked another one over the edge. They were about to go again, but Ben nearly choked on his spit when he saw his mother coming down the deck. Rey saw his expression and swallowed her own, looking where he was looking.

“Mother!” He greeted, his voice much higher than it had been a second ago. “Ladies, lovely to see you.”

“Ben, who’s this?”

“Mom, this is Rey.”

Rey stepped forward, trying to discreetly wipe the spit from her chin.

“I met her just today, she’s a fantastic artist. I’ve asked her to join us for dinner, she’s a wonderful young woman.”

Ben’s mother regarded Rey curiously, then raised an eyebrow at her clothes. “I see…Rey, nice to meet you. Ladies, we’ll see you at dinner, yes?” She dismissed her friends with a small wave of her hand and waited until they were gone to speak to Rey again. “If you don’t mind my asking, you don’t happen to have something resembling an evening gown, do you?”

“Um, not really—”

Ben rolled his eyes, warning his mother, “Mom…”

“For her own sake, Ben,” She took Rey’s hands, “I’m very good at reading people, dear. You seem like a lovely young lady, and if I were to let you come to a First Class dinner wearing what you’re wearing, I’d be throwing you to the wolves.” She took Rey’s arm in hers, walking her down the deck further. “These society ladies, I swear. Like a flock of vultures. See you at dinner, Ben!”

* * *

 

###  **Dinner**

Rey had never seen a more beautiful gown in her entire life.

Off-white, with dull silver beads covering the bustier and falling down the skirt like drops of dew. The pleated silk skirt fell just above her shoes, and the train dragged a few feet behind her.

“I’ve had this dress since I was your age,” Leia was saying as Rey gawked at herself in the mirror. “It was the last thing my father gave to me before he lost everything. I’ve kept it this long…I don’t know why, I suppose to remind me of where I came from.”

“It’s…heavy.”

Leia laughed as she guided Rey over to the vanity to sit. She picked up a brush and began combing out Rey’s hair. “So. My son invited you to dinner.”

“Yeah. Still not sure why, I definitely don’t deserve it.”

“Modesty,” Leia nodded as she started to style the younger woman’s hair. “You’re already one step ahead of the people you’ll meet tonight.”

“You don’t seem surprised that he asked me? I’m practically a stranger.”

“Ben…has never been one to warm up to people quickly,” Leia explained. “You must be a remarkable person if he’s invited you to dinner with us.”

Rey let out a small chuckle, “All right, then.”

Leia finished pulling her hair into three buns on the back of her head, looking at her in the mirror. “You really don’t believe that, do you?”

Rey turned to look at her. “Well…no one’s really said anything like that to me.”

“Well, you deserve to hear it much more often, trust me. Ah, earrings!” She snapped her fingers and went over to her jewelry box. “Nice pearl earrings should do fine. Here they are.” She handed them to Rey to put them on, then Rey stood from the vanity to look at herself in the mirror.

“You shine up like a new penny.” Leia patted her arm, “Come on, or we’ll be late.”

Ben was waiting at the bottom of the Grand Staircase. Hux was chatting away with another stuffy guy; Ben was just waiting, bored, until his mother descended the steps. He greeted her with a kiss to her cheek, and Hux immediately offered her his arm to lead her into the dining hall. Then as Ben turned, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Rey looked like an angel descending from heaven. If she was pretty before, now, she looked like a goddess. Wearing his mother’s old dress, the one he always got on her for carting around when it didn’t fit her anymore. He made a vow to himself that he would never gripe about that dress again. Ever.

As she reached the final steps, Ben came forward to take her hand, placing a small kiss to her knuckles. They shared a look, then Rey snorted a laugh.

“What?”

“I’ve only ever seen that in moving pictures,” she said. “I never thought it would happen to me.”

Ben laughed and offered her his arm.

The dining room was like a ballroom at the royal palace, alive and lit by a constellation of chandeliers, full of elegantly dressed people and fine music. Ben directed Rey to their table, introducing her to the socialites they associated with. She must have been nervous, but she never faltered. They must have assumed she was one of them—an heiress or the future wife of a captain of industry.

Hux, of course, could always be counted on.

“So, Miss—Rey, was it?” he said as they all sat down, “Tell us of the accommodations in steerage. I hear they’re quite good on this ship.”

Ben shot a glare at his fiancé, but Rey held her head high and answered him, “Best I’ve seen, Mr. Hux. Hardly any rats.”

The group laughed, and Hux continued, “Young Rey is joining us from the Third Class this evening. Benjamin invited her.”

“Yes, I met her on the deck just today,” Ben said. “She is a wonderful artist. She was kind enough to show me some of her work.”

Rey didn’t miss Hux rolling his eyes. “Benjamin and I somewhat differ in our interpretations of fine art.”

Ben smiled, very obviously a warning, “The difference in our tastes in art is that I have some, _dear._ ” The rest of the table took this as a joke, but Rey could sense a very different air of tension between Ben and Hux.

“I didn’t mean to impugn your work, Rey. I’m sure it’s lovely.”

There was a tense silence for just a moment, until Leia managed to break it. “Tell us, Rey, where are you from?”

“Well, ma’am, I couldn’t quite tell you,” Rey answered. “My parents died when I was young, left me in an orphanage in Liverpool.”

“And how is it you have means to travel?” Hux asked.

Rey came back with no hesitation, “Well, I worked my way from place to place—tramp steamers and such—but I won my ticket on _Titanic_ here in a lucky hand at poker. A very lucky hand.”

“And you find that sort of rootless existence appealing, do you?”

This time, both Ben _and_ his mother gave Hux disgusted looks. But Rey answered without fault. “Well…yes, sir, I do. I have everything I really need with me: air in my lungs, a few blank sheets of paper; I love waking up in the morning not knowing where I’ll end up, or who I’m gonna meet. Just the other night, I was sleeping under a bridge, but now here I am, on the grandest ship in the world having champagne with you fine people.” Her audience gave a small, collective chuckle, then she continued, “I figure life’s a gift, and I don’t intend on wasting it. I’ve learned how to take life as it comes at me; to make each day count.”

“Well said, Rey.” Leia complimented.

Ben raised his champagne glass. “To making it count.”

The others raised their champagne glasses in a toast and repeated, “To making it count!”

The meal went off without a hitch, and as the cigars and fruit plates were being passed around at the dinner’s completion, Rey was laughing right along with the rest of them as Leia told a story. Ben leaned over to whisper to Rey:

“Next it’ll be brandies in the smoking room.”

As if on some silent cue, Hux stood with his cigar, addressing the other men at the table, “Well! Join me in a brandy, gentlemen?”

Ben whispered again, “Now they retreat into a cloud of smoke to congratulate each other on being masters of the universe.”

“Ben? Are you joining us?” Hux asked.

Ben shook his head, “No, I’ll escort my mother back to the suite. Have one on me.”

After they left, Rey stood from her seat, thanking Leia for helping her and handing her the earrings back.

“You don’t have to go, do you?” Ben asked.

“I’d hate to keep your mother’s dress for too long,” Rey said, smiling. “Time for my coach to turn back into a pumpkin.”

“Ben!” Leia said, “Escort the lady back. Make sure she gets back to her stateroom okay.”

“You want me to come back and escort you, too?”

“No, I’ll be fine. The girls and I will walk together. Go on.”

The moment they made it to the clock, Rey stopped. Ben turned to face her, looking at her quizzically.

“So,” Rey said. “You want to go to a real party?”

* * *

 

###  **A Real Party**

The Third Class general room was crowded and alive with music, an entirely different scene from the one they’d just come from. There was no expectation of class or refinery; more expectation of having a great time. Everyone was drinking and dancing and laughing without a care in the world.

Rey and Ben walked in, and there was hardly a beat when anyone noticed them. Finn and Poe came over the moment they saw Rey.

“Who the hell are you and what have you done with Rey?” Finn grinned as he hugged his friend. “You look fantastic, this dress looks like it costs more than all of our life’s earnings put together and tripled!”

“Long story, better after some beer!” Rey shouted over the music.

Poe grinned and nodded. “I’ll get some for all of us!”

Finn inclined his head at Ben, “Who’re you?”

“Ben.”

Finn nodded, shaking his hand. “Finn. Nice t’meet you.”

Ben had never been one for beer, but he didn’t mind the one Poe pressed into his hand. He listened as Rey excitedly told her friends her experience that she’d had that night. Every couple of sentences, she would glance at him, and he’d catch a brilliant twinkle in her eye. He couldn’t stop staring at her lips as she talked.

A real party, eh? This was wild and unbridled fun. If this was a real party, Ben didn’t ever want to have any other kind of party.

Rey pulled him onto the dance floor, her shoes gone somewhere. He took her hands and her waist, and she grinned at him as they started dancing to the beat. Their feet skipped along the dance floor, hardly coordinated, but uncaring. They were pressed close, stumbling quickly along to the music. People started making a circle on the dance floor, watching them dance as Ben swung Rey around, both of them sweating. They both took tipsy bows as the music ended. Rey, not used to dancing in stocking feet, slipped and fell right into Ben’s arms. He caught her and she clung to him, laughing.

Distracted as they were, neither of them noticed the woman standing halfway down the stairs, ducking to take a good look at the crowd in the general room. It was Hux’s valet, Phasma. Her eyes locked on Ben and Rey, and she scowled at them as she disappeared back upstairs.

The party only got wilder as the night went on. An entire table flipped over, and Ben got beer spilled all over his shirt. He didn’t care. He was having the time of his life.

The time came, and the party ended. Ben and Rey were still having a great time, stumbling along the deck and going nowhere fast. They weren’t drunk; all the dancing they’d been doing had helped to get most of it out of their systems.

“That,” Ben said, “was definitely a party.”

“And this is definitely your mum’s dress,” Rey slurred, hanging on a rope. “I’ll have to give it back to her.”

Ben loomed over her, bracing himself on the pole next to them. “Does that mean I’ll get to see you again?”

“Maybe,” Rey’s eyes darted from his eyes to his lips and back again. “Do you…want to see me again?”

“Maybe…” His voice was soft, barely audible as he leaned in close. She closed her eyes, a silent _‘yes.’_ Their lips met, and sparks flew. His hands cupped her face, and hers went to his shirt. She moved closer to him, and his arms looped around her, holding her tight. Stars enveloped them, dancing and swirling just like they had been an hour before. Neither of them was sure what to do when they broke apart. Ben stroked her face, and Rey didn’t flinch away.

“I’ll come by tomorrow,” Rey muttered, smiling as Ben placed his thumb on her bottom lip. “To give your mum’s dress back.”

“Looking forward to it.”

The next morning was Sunday, April 14. Ben was taking a morning coffee out on the private promenade, enjoying the peace of the morning. His lips were still tingling from the kiss he’d shared with Rey last night.

No doubt about it, he was falling hard for this girl. He couldn’t put his finger on exactly what it was about her that drew him in, but there were so many brilliant things about her that he had no hope of getting out of this. Not that he was fighting his feelings anymore; something about her made his feelings clear and stable, unlike when he was with Hux and the others.

He’d rather be poor and have her than have all the money in the world.

“I didn’t hear you come in last night.”

Ben rolled his eyes and didn’t turn to look at his fiancé. “That’s because I was in late. Went straight to bed.”

“Oh I’m sure you were exhausted after your exertions belowdecks with all that filth.”

All right, _now_ he turned. He glared at Hux over his shoulder, but then turned back to the view. “Not my fault the Third Class knows how to throw a better party than you do. You had that Amazon of a valet follow me, how typical.”

“You are _not_ to behave like that again, Benjamin. Do you understand?” Ben only scoffed in reply, and Hux marched up behind him angrily. “What if someone had _seen_ you down there?”

“I’m sure they’d say ‘damn, he looks like he’s having a good time.’”

“ _Benjamin!_ ”

Ben whirled around, flinging his coffee cup against the wall. “ _Armitage_ . You _do not_ own me, do you understand?! I am not one of your little toy soldiers, I am only marrying you because my father’s death left my mother and I with nothing. I do not love you, I will never love you, _so just leave me the fuck alone!_ ” He stormed out before Hux could say anything, slamming into his mother’s room. She was only partially dressed, her maid helping her lace up her corset.

She hardly flinched. She’d gotten used to her son’s outbursts by now. “What happened?”

“Bastard thinks he owns me! Like I’m some blushing bride that he’s snagged!”

Leia sighed and waved her maid off. “Well, if you’re going to rant, you could at least be useful.”

Letting out a sigh of his own, Ben walked over to help her finish lacing her corset.

“What did you do last night?”

“...nothing—”

“Don’t lie to me, Ben. You know I can always tell.”

“...I went with Rey. To a Third Class party.”

Leia nodded, reserved. “And?”

“And I had more fun than I’ve had since…before Dad died,” He looked down at his hands as he pulled at the strings, “and Rey…”

“She’s a lovely girl.”

His hands stopped, and he sighed. “She’s…she’s more than lovely, Mom. She makes me…better.”

His mother turned around to lay a hand on his cheek. “You’ve always felt everything so intensely, Ben. You’re just like your grandfather.”

“I’m being torn apart, Mom,” His voice cracked, and he tried to blink back tears, “I lost my joy when Dad died, I forgot what being happy feels like. _I felt it_ , for the first time, last night. With Rey.”

His mother looked at him for a long time. He was terrified she was going to shoot him down, tell him that they needed this merger to survive. But then, not for the first time, his mother surprised him.

“If you don’t want to go through with the marriage to Hux, you don’t have to.”

“I—I don’t?”

Leia shook her head. “I loved your father. We fought every day, but I loved him. I loved being part of a family after so long. You’re my only family left, Ben.”

“What about Uncle Luke?”

“Beside the point, hush.” Ben laughed as his mother continued. “Maybe the reason I love _you_ so much is because you remind me of your father. I lost your dad. And if this marriage is going to kill you—inside, even if you seem okay on the outside—I can’t lose you too.”

Ben had to bend his knees, but he hugged his mother tight. She held him as he cried quietly into her shoulder.

“I love you, Ben,” she murmured. “I’ll stand with you, whatever you want to do.”

* * *

 

###  **Flying**

Rey came by to drop off the dress later that afternoon. Ben met her at the door, and after he’d taken the dress back into his mother’s room, he came back out of the suite and closed the door. Rey gave him a questioning look.

“Rey, I need to talk to you. Walk with me?”

“Need another spitting lesson?” She grinned at him.

“It’s something a little more serious.” He smiled. “Come on.”

They started that same route they had walked around the deck the day before. “Rey, I…I had the most fun of my life last night.”

“I had fun, too.”

“No, I…” Ben took a deep breath. He could do this. “I mean, I’ve literally never had as much fun as I did last night…with you.”

Rey got the feeling that they weren’t just reminiscing on the party. She stopped by the railing, and Ben kept going for a few steps before turning to lean on the rail. He sighed and gripped the rail till his knuckles turned white, with his head dipping between his shoulders. He was clearly distraught, and Rey could tell he was trying to scramble together the right words.

“Look, I know I’m no picnic,” Ben finally said. “I’m selfish. I’m an asshole. I get emotional too easily, and I have a bad habit of wrecking things when I get angry. But when I’m with you—”

“Ben—” Rey warned.

“Please, let me just…let me just try to get this out, okay?” He turned to look at Rey again, and she saw the most unguarded, vulnerable look in his eyes, “You’re the strongest, most pure and honest person I’ve ever met, and when I’m with you, it feels...right. You brought out the best in me, and it’s like I’m a whole other person. And…I like that person better than I liked who I was before I met you.”

“Ben…you’re engaged, you shouldn’t be talking to me like this,” Rey said, trying to ignore the guilt gripping her stomach at the dejected look he gave her. “Besides, I don’t have anything to offer you like he does.”

“That’s just it!” Ben said, taking her by the shoulders. “I already have everything in the world that I could possibly want, but it didn’t make me happy. It made me feel trapped, like a monkey in a cage. What you could offer me is something that I’d never have with anyone else, especially any of those people.” He seemed to realize that he was holding her too tightly, and pulled back, putting his hands back on the rail. “I can’t explain it right. All I know is—is—” He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “Forget it.” He turned and ran, and Rey was left reaching out after him.

“Ben, wait!” But he was gone, and her feet wouldn’t move to go after him.

His words rung in her ears as she wandered aimlessly around the deck, finding her way back to the Third Class deck before she stopped. She leaned over the rail, watching the waves. The dying afternoon sun glinted off the crests of the waves, and the loose strands of Rey’s hair floated on the wind that danced up from the hull of the ship.

In three days, this man had captured her attention, needed her help, and swept her into a world she never thought she’d know. She didn’t want to forget this time she’d shared with him—no, it was more than just wanting to remember. She didn’t want this time with him to end. Whether she was to be brought into his world, or he would give up on it to be in hers, she realized she wanted him either way.

It didn’t make sense. They didn’t even know each other, and magnificent cosmic circumstances had put them in one place to meet. But once the ship docked, there would never be another chance for them to get to know each other. Rey loved living her life from day to day, but maybe…maybe it was time to think about tomorrow. Ben’s story was one she wanted to be a part of; not just a few on an unforgettable ship, but the story of their lives. What they could be together.

Because he was right: They completed each other. What he lacked in faith, she made up for in courage, and what she lacked in stability or aim, he made up for in ambition and unwavering bold confidence. They were two halves of a whole, one that shouldn’t be separated by the circumstances of their situations.

Determined, Rey marched her way back up the deck. She kept going, ignoring the looks she was getting from other passengers. The wind seemed to carry her all the way forward, past the bridge deck to the bow. It was a shot in the dark, but she was right: there was Ben, standing right at the apex of the bow, the chilly wind blowing his hair to and fro. Rey stopped a few feet behind him, crossing her arms.

“You didn’t even let me say anything.” Ben turned around, lips slightly parted and eyebrows in surprise. He started to say something, but Rey held up her hand to stop him. “You’re right. I don’t know what it is about you, but…something’s pulling us together. I’m not much of a religious person, but… _something_ wanted us to meet. Fate, destiny, God, whatever you want to call it.”

Ben smiled amusedly. “So…?”

Rey smiled back, closing the distance between them. “ _So_ who am I to argue with destiny? And besides, I’m involved now. You jump, I jump. No way in hell can I walk away not knowing if you’re all right or not.”

Ben wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, as if he was going to kiss her, but then pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. She did the same, and they stayed like that for a minute. Then, he pulled back.

“Close your eyes.” He pulled her up to where he’d been standing, guiding her hands to the rails. “Yeah, that’s it. Now step up.” She nodded, stepping onto the lowest rail, and Ben stepped up behind her.

“Do you trust me?” he asked. She turned as if to look back at him, then nodded. He grinned and took her hands, stretching her arms out. When her arms were straight, like a fully extended pair of wings, his hands moved to her waist to keep her steady. Finally, he leaned to whisper in her ear: “Okay. Open.”

Rey opened her eyes and gasped. She could see nothing but open water and horizon, like there wasn’t a ship under them at all, just the two of them soaring over the waves. The Atlantic unrolled in front of her, a hammered copper shield under a sunset sky.

“I’m…I’m flying!” She let out an astonished laugh as Ben’s hands came up to cover hers. She pressed back against him as their fingers intertwined, and he folded his arms around her. She turned to meet his intense gaze, shining with something she’d never seen before, but she knew what it was now. She was sure that if she could see her own expression, it would share much of the same emotion. She reached up to tangle her fingers in the hair at the back of his neck, pulling him in for a soul-searing kiss.

* * *

 

###  **The Drawing**

Rey had seen the room before, but she still couldn’t get over the beautifully ornate woodwork and satin upholstery and general opulence of Ben’s suite. She set her sketchbook down on the marble side table, scanning the room for a good backdrop for what Ben wanted her to do.

He came out of the bedroom with his shirt undone, carrying a box. “Will this light be okay?” When she gave him a cocked eyebrow, he gestured to the room, “Don’t artists need good light?”

Rey laughed, “Nah, the light’s fine. We shouldn’t be expecting your fiancé, should we?”

“Not as long as the cigars and brandy hold out.” Ben opened the box to show her the diamond.

Rey’s eyes went wide, and she carefully picked the stone necklace out of the box to look at it. “Holy hell. What is it, a sapphire?”

“A diamond. A very rare diamond. Hux said it belonged to the King of France at one point.” Ben explained, “I’d like to leave him one last ‘fuck you.’ Hux, I mean.” Rey nodded, eyes transfixed on the diamond, but she knew Ben was looking at her alone. “So…can you draw me like your French boys? Wearing the necklace?”

She put the diamond haphazardly back in the box, smiling at him. “Sounds all right to me.”

“...Wearing… _just_ the necklace?”

Her expression slipped into one of surprise, her mouth forming a small “oh.” Ben chuckled and snapped the box shut, disappearing back into his room.

Rey cleared her throat and went back to the furniture in the sitting room, moving a chair in front of the couch and scooting the marble side table next to it. She tossed all the throw pillows onto one side of the couch, nodding in satisfaction at her work of setting up the scene. She sat in the chair, sharpening her pencil while she waited for Ben.

He finally came out in a dressing gown, leaning on the doorframe and watching her work. Her movements slowed to a stop when she saw him. She swallowed, reminding herself that she’d done this before and she shouldn’t have been that nervous.

“The last thing I need is another picture of me looking like some snobbish prince,” Ben said as he approached her, tossing a dime in her direction. “And as a paying customer, I expect to get what I want.” With no further ado, he opened the dressing gown and let it fall to the floor.

Even without all the layers of the suits he normally wore, he was _huge_ . Rey had only seen bodies like his in statues of Greek gods, perfectly sculpted like living marble. Broad shoulders, a wide chest, thick arms, none of it diminished at all by the glittering jewel around his strong neck. Even his hands were big—hands that were definitely more beautiful than any she’d seen. His bellybutton sat just above a trail of dark hairs that got thicker the further down her eyes went, until she saw the sheer enormity that was his flaccid cock. If it was _that_ big when it was soft—

Focus, Rey. Work to do. She cleared her throat and managed to tear her eyes away from him long enough to get herself back on track. “Right. Just lay on the bed—the couch! Couch.”

Ben laughed as he went to lie down. “Are you blushing?”

She ignored his question, using her hand to point him out. “Just, uh…yeah, put your right arm behind your head—”

“You are so blushing.”

“—and the other one on the back of the couch.” Rey swallowed and tried to look at his eyes. “All right, keep your eyes on me and relax your face.” Ben complied, then Rey slouched into position with her sketchbook, taking a deep breath as she put the first line on the page.

Despite her nervousness, she drew with sure strokes, capturing the thick, defined curves and edges that made up her Ben. As each stroke and shade took its proper place on the page, Rey came to realize that this was probably the best work she’d ever done. Ben’s shape was languid, erotic, and inviting, but his eyes were intensely focused on her. Every emotion in his eyes was captured in one expression, one little twinkle that held his entire heart.

Once she was done, Rey blew any lingering loose bits of graphite off the page, then signed and dated the bottom corner. Ben got up from the couch and put his dressing gown back on before going to see his artist’s work.

“Like it?” Rey asked, proud.

Ben grinned at her. “It’s perfect.” He kissed her lovingly as she offered him the drawing.

Decks away, Hux rolled a lit cigar between his fingers as he leaned back in his chair in the First Class smoking lounge. He was sitting at a pinochle game with his fellow high society men, but he was very distracted. Ben had hardly made it through the main course of dinner, which was entirely out of character. Even if Ben could never love him, Hux knew him well enough to know that as much as Ben hated having dinner with socialites, he could never get enough food. He was off somewhere, and Hux had a feeling it was with that little street rat he’d embarrassed them with by bringing her to dinner.

Did he think Hux missed the way he looked at her? He allowed himself a dry laugh; Ben was more expressive than anyone. He would have to wear a full-face mask to be even a little discreet.

Hux excused himself from the pinochle table as he saw Phasma enter the smoking lounge. The two of them met by the crackling fireplace, keeping their voices low so the others wouldn’t hear.

“None of the stewards have seen him,” she reported.

Hux uttered a frustrated growl as he leaned on the fireplace mantle, struggling to keep himself composed. “This is absurd. It’s a ship! There’s only so many places he could be.” He took a breath and closed his eyes a moment, then looked at Phasma with a manic fire in his eyes. “Phasma, find him.”

* * *

 

###  **To The Stars**

Rey had wrapped herself back up in her coat while she was waiting for Ben to get dressed again. She’d wandered out to the private promenade deck, rubbing her hands together to keep them warm in the freezing night air. _Private promenade_ , she thought, shaking her head. _Damn_ _rich people_.

She went back inside as Ben emerged in a grey suit and matching waistcoat. She smiled at him, sticking her hands in her coat pockets.

“Well, you look nice.”

Both of them jumped as they heard the key turn in the lock. Ben grabbed his wool coat in one hand and Rey’s hand in the other, dragging her back into his room and out the suite’s other exit.

“Who was that?” Rey asked as they started down the corridor. “Hux? Your mother?”

Ben shook his head as he threw his coat over his shoulders. “Nah, it’s too early still. It was probably Phasma.”

As if on cue, the valet stepped out of the same exit they’d taken and began walking swiftly down the hall after them. Ben glanced back over his shoulder, and kept Rey’s hand in his, walking faster.

Phasma struggled to try and catch up, calling after them: “Benjamin!”

Ben looked at Rey with a wild glint in his eye and shouted, “Run!”

The two of them took off like a pair of wild horses, tearing down the corridor like the hounds of hell were at their heels. Rey let out a surprised laugh, and Ben grinned as he led her past the stairs to the bank of elevators. They ran into one just as an older couple was leaving it, barreling into the poor operator and nearly scaring the man to death. Ben yanked the doors shut as Rey helped the operator right himself.

“Take us down!” Ben said, “Quickly!” His sense of urgency kicked the poor operator into gear, and the lift began to descend just as Phasma halted at the outer gates. Ben and Rey watched her scowl at them as they went down, and Ben, in a moment of defiance (mostly toward his fiancé), stuck both his middle fingers at her. Rey burst into peals of laughter and Ben followed suit, waving at Phasma as they disappeared below the floor.

They left the elevator at E deck, stumbling out before it had entirely reached the bottom, still laughing. They ran into a deserted hallway behind the stairs up, where they stopped to take a breath.

“This woman,” Rey panted, “is a _valet?_ ”

“Military-trained,” Ben laughed, “special forces. I’ve seen her beat a full-grown man half to death.”

Rey was watching through the porthole in the swinging door, as Phasma appeared again, coming down the stairs. The two women locked gazes through the glass, and Rey muttered, “Oh _shit_ —”

“Come on!” Ben had her hand in his again as the two of them bolted down the hallway, through a crew passage, and into a roaring fan room, with no way out but a ladder going down. Ben deadbolted the door, and the two of them practically felt Phasma slam into it seconds later.

Rey, still grinning, pressed her hands to her ears to try and block out some of the noise. “Now what?”

“What?” Ben joked, shouting above the noise.

Where else could they go, but down into the boiler room beneath them? Ben went first, then helped Rey down the ladder after him, and they both looked around in amazement. It was like they’d climbed down into hell itself, with the roaring furnaces and black figures moving in the smoky glow.

“’old up,” one of the stokers said in a thick cockney accent as he noticed the two newcomers. “What’re you two doing down ’ere? It could be dangerous!” He called after them as they ran through the boiler room, dodging amazed stokers and trimmers with their wheelbarrows full of coal. They found an open watertight door, and Ben pulled Rey through the fiercely hot alley between the fifth and sixth boilers, and they wound up in the dark, out of sight of the working crew.

The steam from the hellish belly of the beast billowed around them like the clouds of heaven, creating this separate moment of divine connection between two souls. Rey’s back was to the steel wall just beyond the watertight door, and Ben leaned over her, his hand braced against the steel next to her head. She gripped the edges of his coat, and he kissed her forehead gently, tasting the sweat beading there from their run through the ship. Rey pulled him down to kiss him feverishly, like she was dying of thirst and he was the only freshwater spring within miles and miles of desert. Ben only pulled back for a second, then immediately began mouthing at her neck, humming in satisfaction when she bent back to allow him better access.

His hands brushed her hips, and she pulled his head up, her eyes glowing like embers with an unspoken warning: _not here_.

Just beyond the cleft in the door where they were hiding was a cargo hold. The air was chilly, even more so after the uncomfortable heat of the boiler room. The lovers walked hand-in-hand through the towers of crates until they came upon a brand new Renault touring car lashed down to a pallet. It looked like a coach from a fairy tale, its brass trim and headlamps nicely set off by its deep burgundy color.

Ben, still high off the adrenaline, grinned as he opened the door for Rey and offered his hand to help her in. She took it, giggling as she acted like a princess getting into her carriage, folding the skirts of her dress into the car and sitting with her back straight and chin high. Ben climbed into the driver’s seat, enjoying the play-acting a little too much as he honked the horn.

Rey laughed and opened the dividing glass as Ben leaned back and asked, “Where to, miss?” very snootily.

Rey grabbed him by the shoulders and whispered into his ear: “To the stars.” Ben laughed as Rey pulled him over the seat and into the cab of the car, exerting her surprising strength once again. Ben landed next to her in the back seat, and both of their breaths seemed loud in the quiet darkness. They smiled at each other, both knowing what they wanted, but waiting for the other to make the first move. Ben maintained eye contact with Rey as he lifted her artist’s hands, kissing each fingertip before bringing her hands to rest on his cheeks.

“You nervous?” He mumbled.

She shook her head, stroking his cheek with her thumb. “No.”

The moment of truth. They gazed into each other’s eyes as Rey shucked off her coat, and Ben hesitated, looking for any sign of refusal before he actually put his hands on her breasts. They kissed again, tenderly at first, but they couldn’t stop there. The kiss became more and more desperate as they pulled at each other’s clothes, longing for each other’s warm, bare touch.

They broke apart to really look at each other, to revel in the beauty they saw in the other’s form. His, thick muscle and a wide frame that she wanted to wrap herself around and never let go. And hers, a lithe and athletic build, but dainty in its own respect. She didn’t have the bust some women aspired to, but her breasts were perky, round, and perfect. He kissed her jaw, neck, and collarbone, all but hurrying down to close his lips around a soft nipple, and Rey gasped at the sparks it sent dancing down the inside of her belly, tingling in her core. His other hand came to fondle the opposite breast, and Rey lifted her arms to grip at her own hair, astonished at the good feelings he was stirring in her.

He stopped to look up at her, grinning softly. “You ever…?”

Rey blushed, glancing at the seat before answering. “Not…really. I mean…just with my own hands.”

Ben didn’t linger on the subject, only came up to kiss her neck again; then he began to suck at the soft spot just between her neck and collarbone. Rey moaned, bringing her hands up to cling to his shoulders as his mouth did its work. When he was finished, Rey could just barely see the edge of the dark mark he’d made.

“It means you’re mine,” he murmured against her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. “Anyone sees it, they’ll know you aren’t to be touched. You belong to _me_ , you understand?”

Rey took hold of his neck, and he pulled back to look at her, those intense eyes burning with a deep-set unbridled need that could have melted her into nothing.

“Oh God,” she whispered, diving in for another kiss, “ _take me._ ”

Ben chuckled as he kissed her, snaking his hand down between them to open her up. She keened against his lips as his thumb grazed her clit, his index finger testing her wetness before slowly wriggling in. He ate up her little whines and pants as he gently thrust his finger in and out of her, adding a second when he felt she was ready.

When he’d made it to the third, she bit hard into the meat of his shoulder, and he let out a surprised shout. When he furrowed his eyebrows at her, he found the most lustful look he’d ever seen dancing in her eyes in the dim light.

“You’re mine, too,” she purred, tracing her finger along the little indentations her teeth had made in his shoulder. “Now and always. He can’t have you. No one else can.”

He groaned and pulled his fingers out, kissing her again. “ _Fuck_ , kid. I can’t take it.”

“I can.”

He nearly came on the spot.

She was stroking his sides as he lined up, hesitating for fear he’d hurt her. When he finally pushed in, he couldn’t ignore how much he enjoyed her fingernails in his back, or the tiny, overwhelmed noises she made. He stopped when he saw her wince as if in pain, checking to make sure she was all right.

“I’m…fine,” she panted, hands unable to stay in one spot; they were on his chest, his back, his shoulders, his neck, then his hair. “K-keep going. Please, Ben.”

In all truth, he was having more trouble keeping himself steady than she was. His thighs were shaking as he bottomed out, gasping and struggling to brace himself on the seat of the car. She was blissfully tight, impossibly wet, and it was taking every scrap of self-control he had to hold it together and keep himself from coming too early. This beautiful, ethereal woman had captured his heart, ensnared his mind, and held his soul captive. It was in the look in her eyes, the touch of her shaking hands, in her kiss, and in their connection.

“You’re trembling,” she whispered, cupping his face in her hands.

“S’fine,” he mumbled, pecking her lips. “I’ll be all right.”

She kissed his forehead and his cheek before shifting to lean into his ear. “Come on, Ben,” she moaned, mostly for show. “I _want_ you.”

Ben groaned and kissed her neck, “You’ve got me, Rey,” he mumbled as he slowly pulled himself out. “You’ll always have me.”

She gasped as he thrust back in, her hips arching to meet his. He shifted his weight, pushing himself up on his hands. Rey whined and wrapped her legs around his waist, gripping his shoulders. He bore down on her, rolling his hips steadily to an inaudible rhythm. His pace became faster the more he chased his peak, the pressure building beneath his belly becoming nearly unbearable. Rey, nearly lost to her own pleasure, moved her hands from his shoulders to his neck, till they worked their way into his hair and _pulled_.

“Mine,” he mumbled as he rocked them both, “Mine, _mine…_ ”

“Yes,” Rey purred, pulling him down for another kiss, “ _Yes_ , Ben—yes, I’m yours.”

His pace became erratic, faster and faster, until he was gripping the seat so tightly his knuckles turned white. “Rey, I’m—I’m gonna come,” he panted, “Can I—?”

Rey, entirely consumed by pleasure, nodded as she pulled him close. “Yes, Ben, yes—”

Ben gasped and his hips stuttered as he thrust as deep as he could and held on for one more second as he reached down to thumb Rey’s clit. She gasped and arched her back as he threw her into her climax, and as the white hot ecstasy rushed over her, she threw her arm out in an attempt to grab hold of something to keep her tethered to this world. She ended up smacking her hand against the foggy window of the car, and as her orgasm subsided she went lax. Ben came seconds later, groaning as she clenched around him.

They lay there for a quiet second, revelling in their shared heat and breath. Ben pulled out, kissing her face all over before laying down on top of her and burying his face in her chest.

“I can feel your heart beating,” he mumbled into her skin. She chuckled and kissed his head as they lay there, enjoying their post-coital bliss.

* * *

 

###  **Iceberg, Right Ahead!**

Hux stood at his open safe. He’d come back to the room after he and his society mates had left the First Class smoking room. Leia had already retired for the evening, but Ben was still nowhere to be found. Phasma had already regaled to him what had happened earlier, but Hux was still surprised to find what he found in his safe: two papers, one a note, and the other a drawing.

And there was his fiancé, spread out on the couch, captured perfectly in the sketch. The note with it read:

 _Darling—now you can keep us both locked in your safe._ _  
_ _With love, Ben_

Hux nearly tore the papers in half in anger, but then he took a breath and steadied himself.

“I’ve got an idea.”

On the well deck, a fully dressed Ben and Rey stumbled out of the hold, laughing at each other so hard they could hardly breathe. Ben lifted Rey into his arms and spun her around, and the two of them nearly tumbled onto the deck. Ben held her tight, their breath clouding the air between them, but they didn’t feel the cold at all.

“When the ship docks,” Ben said, pressing his forehead to hers, “you’re getting off with me.”

“That’s crazy, Ben.”

They both laughed, then Ben said, “I know, it doesn’t make sense. But I trust you.”

He practically folded around her, holding her tight and kissing her. They couldn’t be separated any longer, now that they’d found each other. They’d bared their souls to each other, and now they were bonded, unbreakable.

Suddenly, with a squealing creak, their entire world shook. They broke their kiss, and both whirled toward the starboard rail. They gaped in astonishment as an enormous iceberg sailed past them, blocking out the stars and looming above them like a mountain. The ship herself shuddered to her core, and Ben and Rey had to jump back to avoid falling chunks of ice as they shattered on the deck. They watched in horror, with officers shouting in the distance, as the wall of ice moved down the side of the ship.

They looked at each other, and Ben took her hand to lead her back away from the well deck. On their way they passed Captain Smith speaking with a group of officers, who were trying in vain to keep their voices down.

“Boiler room six is flooded eight feet above the plate, and the mail hold is worse,” one officer reported. “She’s all buckled in in the forward hull.”

Captain Smith kept a somber expression as he asked, “Can you shore up?”

“Not unless the pumps get ahead.”

“Have you seen the damage in the mail hold?”

“No, sir, it’s already underwater.”

Rey’s grip on Ben’s hand tightened as they watched the officers walk past them. “This sounds bad,” she said softly.

Ben sighed. “We ought to warn Hux and my mother.”

They walked down the grand hall at deck B, still hand-in-hand, holding their heads high. Phasma was waiting for them just before they entered the room.

“We’ve been looking for you both.” She escorted them into the room, neither of them noticing that she’d slipped something into Rey’s pocket.

There was silence as they entered the sitting room, to find Hux pacing the length of the room, and the ship’s master-at-arms searching through their things with a group of his officers.

“Something serious has happened,” Ben said, looking at Hux.

“Yes it has, indeed,” Hux growled, “two things dear to me have disappeared this evening. Now that one has returned, I’m sure I know where to find the other.” He nodded at Rey, indicating her to the officers. “Search her.”

“Take off your coat, miss.” The officers began to pat Rey down as she rolled her eyes and shrugged out of her coat.

“Come _on!_ ”

Ben glared at his fiancé. “Hux, this isn’t a time for games, we’re in the middle of an emergency! What are you doing—”

“Is this it?” One of the officers asked, pulling the Heart of the Ocean from Rey’s coat pocket.

Rey gaped at it in disbelief. “What the—this is bullshit!”

Hux took the necklace from the officer, watching in utter satisfaction as the master-at-arms took Rey by the arm.

“The fuck, Hux?” Ben asked, but he was looking at Rey. “She couldn’t have done it, I was with her the entire time!”

“Well, perhaps she did it while you were putting your clothes back on,” Hux was smug as he watched the officers dragging Rey from their stateroom.

“Ben, you can’t believe it!” she shouted. “You know me! They must have put it in my pocket— _Ben!_ ”

But Ben just stood there, confused, watching Rey disappear from sight. Why didn’t he stop them? He knew Rey was innocent, he knew Hux had a vendetta, so why wasn’t he saying anything? Rey couldn’t have stolen the necklace.

Could she?

His own words from earlier echoed in his ears: _“Can you put this back in the safe for me?”_

The only thing that brought him back to reality was the harsh slap to his face. His cheek stung as his head whipped to the side. He touched his cheek, only just registering that Hux had hit him.

“Maybe now you won’t forget who you belong to,” Hux uttered, taking Ben’s shoulders and giving him a good shake.

They were interrupted by a steward, who knocked politely before entering the room. “Mr. Hux?”

“Not now, we’re busy.” Hux’s tone was polite, but issued a firm warning.

“Pardon the intrusion sir, but I’ve been told to ask you to please put on your life belts and come up to the boat deck,” the steward said, disappearing into the bedroom to pull a pair of life belts from the dresser. “Now, it’s quite cold out tonight, so it would be best to dress warmly.”

Ben, still in shock, drifted along in a haze. They’d woken his mother and allowed her to dress, and he suddenly found himself waiting in the parlor with all the other First Class passengers. Stewards bumbled about as the band played chipper music in an attempt to keep the passengers calm. Ben shook himself out of his daze when he saw the ship’s builder, Mr. Andrews, walk by him. The pleasant Irishman had been present for many of their group’s gatherings, and Ben couldn’t miss the look in his eyes as he hurried past; it was the same look a rabbit might have passing a quiet fox’s den, knowing it was nearing death but not knowing the exact moment that the icy claws would grab it.

Ben stopped Mr. Andrews as he started up the stairs. “Mr. Andrews?” the Irishman turned, and Ben kept his voice low, “I saw the iceberg. Please, what’s going on?”

Andrews glanced at the crowd around them, then pulled Ben aside, trying to make sure no one could hear them. Hux was still within earshot, but kept his eyes on Ben.

“The ship will sink.” Andrews said.

Ben’s eyes went wide, “You’re certain?”

Andrews nodded. “In an hour or so, all of this will be at the bottom of the Atlantic.”

Hux, his anger fading, stepped closer. “What?”

“Please,” Andrews begged of Ben, “tell only who you must. I don’t want to be responsible for a panic. And get to a lifeboat, quick as you can. They’ll be loading up the women and children first, so soon as they start letting the men on, you’ll want to be there.”

“Why?” Hux asked.

The poor man looked like he was about to have a heart attack. “The lifeboats. There’s only enough for about half the people on board the ship.”

Ben nodded, “Yes, I understand.” He turned to Hux, who forgot his anger for a moment, then the both of them went to Leia.

“Mother,” Ben said quietly, “We need to go outside, now.”

* * *

 

###  **The Sinking**

Deep in the bowels of the ship, Rey sighed as she pulled at the uncomfortably tight handcuffs around her wrists. She hugged the pipe she was chained to, trying hard not to cry in front of Phasma. The master-at-arms had been needed elsewhere, so the valet was the only one left to watch the prisoner.

“Don’t shed too many tears, love,” Phasma said as she got up from her chair, “Benjamin will have forgotten you by morning. He often does.”

Rey glared at the taller woman, then spat in her direction. “Fuck you.”

Phasma chuckled, placing her hand on Rey’s shoulder. “I’ve been asked to give you this small token of our appreciation.” When Phasma’s fist connected with Rey’s gut, she doubled over, gasping for breath. Then, Phasma turned away from her.

“Compliments of Mr. Armitage Hux.”

Ben watched his mother climb into a lifeboat numbly, the realization not sinking in just yet. Hux was asking an officer if they were letting men on just yet, just as it clicked in Ben’s head.

Rey.

Ben kissed his mother’s hand just before she climbed too far to reach him, and she looked back at him as she took her seat. An unspoken understanding passed between them, that even if this was the last time they would see each other, they truly loved one another. Without a word, Ben turned around and started walking down the deck. Hux hurried after him.

“Where are you going?!” The ginger asked, “They’ll be letting us on soon, you need to stay here! If you go off to that gutter rat whore, you’ll never see the light of day again.”

Ben turned only to glare at Hux. “Whether or not I see the sunrise, I’m not going anywhere with you, you unimaginable bastard!”

Hux yelled and grabbed Ben’s arm, but Ben whirled on him and delivered a punch straight to his face. Hux crumpled to the deck like he was made of glass, and Ben broke into a run across the deck, searching desperately for the one person who could help him.

“Mr. Andrews!” He called, running down the halls. He had to find him, had to—there! “Mr. Andrews, thank god!” For the second time that night, Ben was sure he’d scare the pants off the poor man. “Please, where would the master-at-arms take someone under arrest?”

“Ben, you shouldn’t still be here, please, go out to the boat deck—”

“No, sir, I’m doing this with or without your help,” Ben said firmly. “But without will take longer, and there’s an innocent woman trapped down there.”

It took Andrews only seconds to deliberate, then he quickly relayed directions to Ben. Ben thanked him and took off running. He wove his way through passengers still lingering in the hall to the lifts as the last operator was closing up his lift to leave. As he approached, the operator blocked the doorway.

“I’m sorry, sir, but the lifts are closed.”

Anger boiled up in him, anger at himself for not believing Rey when he had the chance, anger at the snooty faux-politeness of the operator, and anger at the situation itself. He grabbed the man by his suit jacket and practically threw him into the lift.

“I am through being polite, goddammit!” Ben shouted. “Now take me down!”

The operator, stunned, grabbed the lever and began their descent. Ben yanked the doors closed and impatiently waited for the slow machine to bring them all the way down to E deck. He was startled as water rushed in around his ankles, yelling and stumbling back at the force of the sudden rushing wave.

“I’m going back up!” The operator, terrified, lunged for the lift’s lever, but Ben pushed him back and waded out of the doors. After trying in vain to get Ben to come back to the elevator, the operator went back up without him. Ben watched him disappear above the floor, too determined to be put off by the sudden lack of lifeline. He turned left as Andrews said he should, down a crewman’s passage. He slogged as quickly as he could through the corridors, calling for Rey.

Rey, who had been crying into her arm, heard him yelling as if he were her guardian angel. The water had already been swirling around her legs like the icy hands of the devil, threatening to pull her down. She’d been hopelessly pulling at the pipe, straining against her restraints until her face had turned red. Upon hearing Ben’s voice, she started screaming for him, banging her handcuffs on the pipe to make more noise for him to hear her.

Ben burst in, her hero, her love, and for a moment she forgot he'd let her get like this. He hugged her, grabbed her face, and kissed her.

“Rey, I'm sorry.” He was near tears, and her heart melted. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry—”

“That woman—Phasma—she put it in my pocket—”

“I know,” Ben sobbed, burying his face in her neck, “I know, it's my fault, I'm sorry.”

“How'd you figure it out?” she asked.

Ben kissed her cheeks. “I didn't have to. I just realized I already knew.”

They looked at each other for a second, nothing but pure, unbridled love in their eyes. Then Rey realized the water was now reaching her thighs.

“Ben, you need to find the spare key for these things, okay? Look in that cabinet there, it's a little silver one!”

Ben nodded and slogged over to the cabinet, frantically searching through all the keys hanging there. “These are all brass ones!” He began searching through the desk, throwing things aside left and right looking for a key. He began to panic when he'd gone through all the possible places it could be, shouting, “There's no key…there's no key!”

Rey fought to keep herself calm. She climbed up onto the desk next to the pipe to keep herself out of the water, trying to think. “Ben! Look, you've got to go get help, okay?”

Ben looked at her, fear in his eyes. But he nodded, and waded back over to give her a kiss. “Okay. I'll be right back!”

Rey laughed awkwardly. “I'll just be here.” They both managed a nervous chuckle as Ben ran (or as close to running as he could get in two and a half feet of water) out of the room.

The hallway he'd come from was far more flooded than he'd left it. Horror at the gravity of the situation rushed through him as he charged back down the hall, away from the rising water. He tried to suppress a shiver as he left the water, the air chilling him even more than the water did. He tore through the corridors, looking for someone— _anyone—_ who could help.

“Hello?” he called out, turning another corner, “Is there anyone down here?” He turned in circles desperately. “We need help! _Hello?!_ ”

He turned corner after corner until he didn’t know where he was. This was worse than a nightmare. Around him, he heard the creaking and groaning of the ship, and he pressed his back against the wall. He began to panic when the lights flickered, dimmed, and the hallway went black. He started hyperventilating, then he put his hands on the wall to try to steady himself. The walls were creaking again, and Ben pounded on the wall, as if punishing the ship for the situation he was in.

The lights blinked back on slowly, and as he turned around he noticed a red box hanging on the wall. He hurried over, nearly shouting in surprise when he came upon a fire emergency axe. The box was locked, but he didn’t care. He shucked off his suit coat, wrapped it around his right fist, then delivered a hard punch to the glass, shattering it. He shook the glass out and threw the jacket back on, grabbing the axe and tearing back down to Rey.

When he reached the corridor again, he found that the other end of the hallway was already underwater. He only paused for a second, then he plunged straight into the water, grunting at the pain of the icy current. The water was past his waist now, which meant that Rey would be chest-deep once he got her out of there. When he pushed his way back into the room, Rey was standing on the desk, just barely keeping out of the water lapping at her ankles.

“Ben?”

“I found this!” Ben lifted the axe to show her.

Rey looked surprised. “That’ll work. Do you know how to swing it?”

Ben snorted at her as he waded over. “Please, of course I know how to swing it.”

Rey took a shaky breath and separated her hands, spreading the chain on the cuffs out on the pipe she was chained to. “Just…hit it really hard, and really fast, okay?”

“Don’t worry baby, I’ve got you.” Ben lined up the axe blade with the chain, then lifted it and brought it down hard. There was a loud _clang_ as the blade bounced off the pipe, and Rey managed to rip her hands free. They both let out surprised laughs as Rey leaped into his arms. Before he realized what he was doing, Ben set her down in the water.

“ _Shit!_ ” she hissed, “Shit, that’s cold!”

“Sorry, sorry!” Ben grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the room. “Come on, we have to get you topside.”

“What do you mean?”

Ben looked at her sadly, but he didn’t have time to explain. He brought her to the stairs, but water was pouring down them at a frightening pace. “Shit, this is the way out.”

“We’ll find another way, come on!”

* * *

 

###  **Unable to Stay, Unwilling to Leave**

There was a wide hallway on E deck, called Scotland Road. It was the widest hallway on the ship, and ran almost from one end to the other. Steerage passengers and crew alike moved along like refugees, heading aft.

All of a sudden, one of the doors crashed and splintered as Ben and Rey came stumbling through it, finally having made it out of the bowels of the ship. A steward had been walking past them and looked aghast at the careless destruction of the ship.

“Oi! You’ll have to pay for that you know!” He marched along behind them, trying to get them to listen to him. “That’s White Star Line property!”

They both whirled on him, shouting in unison: “Shut up!”

The two of them blended with the steerage stragglers going aft. They had to weave around families clumped together in the hallway, carrying all their luggage. They passed a thin Irish woman and her husband, and upon seeing Rey, the woman pulled out a blanket and stopped her.

“Here, lass,” she said, throwing the blanket around Rey’s shoulders, “You need it more than me.”

“Thank you,” Rey mumbled through her chattering teeth. The woman’s husband offered a flask to both her and Ben.

“This’ll take the chill off.”

Rey took a decent belt from the flask, then handed it to Ben. Ben took a small drink before handing it back to the Irishman. He then thanked him quietly and led Rey further down the hall, where the steerage passengers were blocked by a set of locked gates, with stewards standing guard on the other side. Rey raced forward upon seeing a familiar face.

“Finn!” She cried out, and her friend pulled her into a tight but concise hug. “What’s happening here?”

“The boats are all leaving,” Finn said, his voice on the verge of panic. “They’re not letting anyone upstairs!”

“Where’s Poe?”

Finn pointed over the other passengers’ heads, to the top of the stairwell, where Poe Dameron was at the gate, talking with the steward who’d declared himself in charge. They were arguing over the gates.

“For chrissakes, there’s women and children down here! Let us up so we can have a chance!” Poe demanded, gripping the metal bars as if he thought he could rip them out of the wall.

But the stewards were too petrified to do anything. They were never trained to handle a mob scene, which was what the situation was quickly becoming. Poe scowled at them before weaving his way back down the stairs to where his friends stood.

“Rey!”

“Poe, can we get out?”

“It’s hopeless that way!”

“There’s nothing back that way, either,” Finn said, gesturing down the other hallway.

Rey chewed on her lip, then she tightened her grip on Ben’s hand. “All right. Come on, let’s try this way!”

Worlds away, the First Class corridor at B deck was practically abandoned. It should have been peaceful, but when the only thing Hux could hear was the sound of the ship creaking in the distance, it was more eerie than anything. He kept his cool as he threw an overcoat around his shoulders, stuffing money into the pockets. He pulled the Heart of the Ocean out of its box and shoved it into the coat pocket as well. Phasma entered the room behind him, waiting for him. Hux turned and gave her a wry smile as he shut and locked the safe.

“I make my own luck,” he uttered.

She opened her own coat to reveal a .45 sidearm. “So do I.”

Hux chuckled as he led her out.

They were completely unaware of the struggle going on belowdecks, as Ben, Rey, Finn, and Poe searched for a way out. It was disheartening to pass so many confused passengers: a woman clutching her baby to her chest, a couple arguing in Russian while a child stood between them, a man kneeling to console a woman who was just sitting on the floor, sobbing, and a man who was flipping through an English/Arabic dictionary, trying to figure out what the signs meant while his family waited patiently.

The group managed to make it up two decks before they hit a dead end: a small group of people pressed up against a steel gate, a smaller version of what they’d witnessed moments before. Ben pushed his way to the front of the group easily enough, and heard what the steward was saying:

“Just go back to the main stairwell with everyone else. Everything will be sorted out there.”

“Open the gate!” he shouted at the man.

“Go back to the main stairwell.” The steward wouldn’t budge.

“Open the gate right now!”

“Go back to the main stairwell like I told you!”

There was a beat of silence where Ben tried to keep it together, but he had been keeping calm all night and frustration got the better of him. He bubbled with a rage he hadn’t felt in a while, fiercer than his tantrums while he’d been engaged to that prick. He had someone he loved more than anything now, someone who was trapped down here with the rest of them. He wasn’t going to let this bastard get in the way of that.

Finally the rage exploded, and he rattled the gate with all his strength and roared: “ _GODDAMN IT TO HELL, SON OF A BITCH!_ ”

The steel gate refused to budge, and Ben backed off the crowd, running his hands through his hair. Then, an epiphany. There was a bench bolted down next to the far wall, and Ben grabbed one end and started to pull.

Rey realized immediately what he was trying to do, and pointed her friends at Ben. “Poe, Finn, help him!” They rushed to help Ben pull up the bench, and Rey immediately threw herself into the crowd to part the way for them.

“Move aside!” she shouted, pushing people away from the gate. “Quickly, move aside!”

The three men lifted the bench with ease, hoisting it like a battering ram and running at the gate. One hit made the gate shudder, and it gave way on the second hit. The bench sat on top of the folded gate, acting like a bridge to freedom for the trapped passengers. They swarmed through the doorway, much to the chagrin of the terrified steward.

“You can’t do this!”

Rey was the last to climb over the bench, and as she leaped through the gateway, she delivered a hard punch to the steward’s nose.

They scrambled onto the boat deck, rushing past panicking passengers and, eventually, the First Class string quartet.

Poe allowed himself an indignant snort as he said to Finn, “Music to drown by. Now I know I’m in First Class.”

The last row of lifeboats had just started to load people, the first one ready was nearly full. The officers were calling for women and children only, and only then did Rey realize what was happening. She watched as a hysterical little girl reached out for her father, trying to get him to come in the boat with her and her mother.

“It’s goodbye for a little while,” her father tried to console her. “Only for a little while. This boat is for mummies and children only, there’ll be another boat that daddy can get on. You hold Mummy’s hand and be a good little girl, all right?”

Rey turned to her friends, hugging each of them in turn. “Go check the other side for more boats letting men on.”

Finn was near tears. He and Rey had spent three years of their lives as best friends and traveling companions, and there was an overwhelming sense of dread hanging over their heads that they would never see each other again. He hugged her so tightly he thought he might never let her go.

He blinked back tears as he pulled back from the hug and kissed her forehead. “See you in New York, eh?” It was more of a hope than a promise, and Rey couldn’t fight the feeling that she wasn’t going to see her best friend again. She watched him go, trying not to shed tears as she turned back to Ben. Ben hugged her tightly, leading her towards the lifeboat.

“Ben, no.” She backed off from him, shaking her head. “They’re not letting men on, and I’m not going without you.”

“Rey, please. Get in the boat.”

“Yes, get in the boat, _Rey_.” They both turned to find Hux, skulking behind them. He put on a fake smile, then looked at Ben with feigned concern. “Benjamin, you’re not even wearing a coat, you must be freezing. Why the hell are you all wet?” Hux shucked off his coat and draped it around Ben’s shoulders, but Rey wasn’t buying it.

“I’m definitely not leaving you now,” she growled at Hux’s overly possessive display. “Come on, Ben, we’ll find another boat.”

“No need,” Hux put his hands up in surrender. “In the interest that this is an emergency, I thought we could temporarily bury the hatchet and go back to fighting after we have all been safely delivered to New York.”

Rey gave him a defiant look, keeping a hold of Ben’s hand.

Hux sighed, “I have an arrangement with an officer on the other side. Ben and I can get off safely. Both of us.”

Ben kissed Rey’s forehead. “See? Got my own boat to catch. Please, Rey.”

Rey didn’t like it. Ben’s fiancé didn’t want them to be together, why would he be offering this? But before she could stand her ground and say that even _if_ there was an arrangement, she would still rather be with Ben rather than separate, an officer who was loading the boat grabbed her and practically threw her into the arms of the other officer who was manning the boat.

Rey was numb, sitting in her seat at the edge of the boat as they began to lower the passengers down. There must have been lots of noise, but Rey could only hear the blood pounding in her ears as she and Ben locked eyes again. Tears were streaming down her face. A distress flare exploded in the night behind Ben, outlining him in a halo of light, and suddenly, she came to her senses.

What was she doing? They were in this together. They were getting off this ship together, they’d sworn it. Before she knew what she was doing, Rey stood up from her seat, climbed over the woman next to her, and jumped for the rail of the A deck promenade. She groaned as the sudden wood rail to the ribs knocked the air out of her, then one of the stewards who still remained on the ship grabbed her and helped her pull herself onto the promenade.

“ _Rey!_ ”

She’d heard Ben shouting on the boat deck above her, and was consumed by only one thought: getting back to him. Sobbing, she stumbled into the parlor and to the grand staircase, where she saw Ben running down the stairs to meet her. They collided into an embrace, both crying out of fear and relief. Ben grabbed her face and started kissing her all over.

“You’re so stupid, Rey!” he scolded between kisses. “Why did you do that, why?!”

Rey tried to smile through her tears. “You jump, I jump, right?”

Ben stroked his thumb across her cheek and pulled her close, burying his face in her hair. “Right.”

Hux had followed Ben to the top of the stairs, and stood in awe of the two lovebirds in the foyer. Even after all this, all he’d done for them, Ben still ran back to her. Armitage Hux had always been a patient, cool-headed man, but for the one person he wanted in this world to reject him so outwardly—

He hardly registered Phasma’s hand on his shoulder, leading him back out to the deck to try and get him in a lifeboat. Hux was about to tell her something, but he suddenly remembered the gun she kept. In a cobra-fast move, Hux whipped around, grabbing the .45 and ducking his handler. He ran down the stairs to the landing above those accursed lovers, nearly sliding on the carpet as he raised the gun.

Ben noticed him the second before he pulled the trigger, and pulled Rey aside just as the cherub at the bottom of the stair railing exploded.

“Come on!” He gripped Rey’s hand as they ran down the grand staircase. Rey glanced back up as Hux screamed in rage and fired at them again, the next bullet creating a divot in the wood paneling just behind her. Ben pulled her down the next flight of stairs as Hux slipped on the head of the obliterated cherub, sprawling as his gun went flying to the side.

He recovered quickly, grabbing the gun and nearly appearing drunk as he staggered down the stairs after his ex-fiancé and his gutter whore.

The bottom of the grand staircase was flooded several feet deep. Ben and Rey came down the stairs two at a time and plunged straight into the water, desperate to get away from Hux. Hux reeled down the stairs in time to catch Ben and Rey disappearing into the dining saloon, and fired two more shots at them, both of which missed. The last shot hit the glass in the door, but Ben and Rey were already gone. Hux stumbled down the stairs, holding onto a pillar to steady himself as the water swirled around his legs. Phasma came down the stairs to find him like that, shaking and holding the now-empty gun.

“I hope you enjoy your time together!” His voice bounced off the water, echoing amid the clinking of floating china and the groaning of the ship. He’d started back up the stairs when realization hit him, and he looked back again, only to start laughing. It was the crazy, unhinged laughter of a man who had finally blown his lid.

“What could _possibly_ be funny?” Phasma demanded.

“I put the diamond in my coat.” He paused, waiting for her to respond, then he shouted, gesturing after Ben with the gun. “And I put the coat on Ben!”

He continued to laugh maniacally as his handler rolled her eyes, leading him back up the stairs and taking her gun from him.

* * *

 

###  **The Death of** ** _Titanic_**

As more and more boats left the doomed vessel, things fell apart more and more. Screams could be heard from the departing boats, and the passengers were more a mob than a crowd now. One of the officers was trying to retain control as his men attempted to flip over one of the collapsible lifeboats to get more people off. Finn and Poe stood among the many trying to get on the last of the boats.

“Get back!” shouted the officer, brandishing a revolver. “Get back, or I’ll shoot you all like dogs!”

“Give us a chance to live, you bastard!” Poe shouted at the man. However, he was fighting to keep the crowd back, hoping no one would actually get hurt. But one man behind him jumped forward, accidentally pushing Poe forward as well.

Two gunshots rang out, and Finn screamed as he caught his friend.

“POE!” Finn shook him, trying to get him to open his eyes. “No, Poe, come on, stay with me!” He turned to the officer and snarled, “Bastard!”

The man froze, watching as a streak of red flowed down the slanting deck, catching the toe of his shoe as he stepped aside. Shaking, he saluted his men, then raised the revolver to his temple.

“No, Will!” one of his fellow officers shouted. Too late.

 _BLAM!_ He dropped like a puppet cut from its strings, toppling over the edge of the deck into the water mere feet below.

Hux watched it all from a perch a few feet down the deck, trying to ignore the child crouched behind him, blubbering for her mother. He looked back at the child, and with no form of respect whatsoever, climbed down, lifted her up, and pushed through the crowd.

“I have a child! Please, I have a child!” he shouted, and the people cleared a path. The officer looked at the man wearing a tuxedo carrying a girl in naught but rags, but he didn’t have time to scrutinize.

“Go on,” he mumbled, trying to keep the mob at bay.

Ben and Rey had found their way to the well deck, trying to stay on the ship as long as possible. The deck slanted more and more, till it was getting hard to climb. Passengers clung to every fixed object there was, trying not to slide down the deck. Luggage, deck chairs, and even people were falling off the ship. Whether it was an accident that they fell, or they had accepted the inevitable, it was hard to tell.

Ben and Rey made it to the back rail of the ship just as the deck became too steep to climb anymore. The lights were flickering, as if the ship herself was giving in to the throes of death. Rey looked at the flagpole above them, and through her terrified haze, realized something.

“Ben,” she whispered, “this is where we first met.”

Ben gave her a small smile as he kissed her forehead and hugged her tighter.

What must have been mere minutes felt like hours before the lights flickered once more and then blacked out entirely. Only seconds later, Rey glanced down the ship when she heard a tremendous cracking noise. They didn’t have time to wonder what was happening before the entire stern of the ship broke off from the rest, like a sugar cube breaking apart in a cup of tea. Rey clung to Ben for dear life, which they seemed to be on the very edge of.

“Rey, we gotta get over the rail, come on!” Ben heaved himself over the rail.

The stern began to rise again, and Rey yelped as she nearly slipped. Ben clung to the outside of the ship with one hand, offering Rey the other. It was a horrific parallel to when they first met, but she didn’t have time to examine the irony. The ship was rising at a terrifying rate, and Rey’s hand shook as she reached over the rail.

“I’ve got you.” She could hardly hear him over the noise, but she trusted him anyway. She clambered over the rail as she lost her footing, when the deck became too slanted to stand on. She got over just as the railing was going horizontal and the deck vertical. She tried to block out the screaming of the other passengers as some of them lost their grip on whatever they were clinging to. One by one, they dropped like bags of flour over the long drop to the roiling sea below. She flinched as some of them hit the deck benches and ventilators, bouncing off like rag dolls.

Ben gripped her fiercely. Even though the rest of the ship seemed to have obtained temporary stability, there was no way it would be for long. The final relentless plunge began as the stern section started to flood, bringing them down like an enormous elevator.

“Rey,” Ben said, taking his lover’s hand, “listen to me, the ship’s gonna pull us down. Take a deep breath when I say, then kick for the surface and keep kicking. Do not let go of my hand.” Rey nodded numbly, her hand shaking as she gripped Ben’s. “You trust me?”

She looked at him. “With everything.”

Below them, the deck was disappearing. The plunge kept gathering speed; the boiling waters engulfed the docking bridge, then rushed up the last thirty feet. Just behind Ben and Rey’s feet, the golden letters that spelled out TITANIC were swallowed up. Ben held onto Rey as they were sucked down under the waves, leaving nothing but black night and foaming waters where the grand steamer once stood.

* * *

 

###  **Never Let Go**

The scene on the surface was one of horror: an unbridled chaos of screaming, thrashing people. Over a thousand former passengers and crew were floating where the ship had gone down. Some were stunned, gasping for breath, and others were crying, praying, shouting…screaming. Begging for the boats to come back, begging for God to have mercy on them.

Ben and Rey struggled away from the thick of the frenzy, away from people that were driven insane by the water, so cold that it was indistinguishable from death by fire. All around them there was a tremendous wailing, screaming and moaning, but beyond that, there was nothing but black stretching hopelessly all the way to the horizon.

Ben swam easily, the effort keeping him from freezing. Rey was much more clumsy in swimming, slowed down by the life belt she’d found to wear. Near the edge of the frenzied crowd, Ben came upon a floating section of debris— it could have been wood paneling from a wall or door, now bobbing like cork in the water. Ben turned, looking back to Rey.

“Rey, over here, come on.” He helped her over, lifting her up by the arm as she tried to struggle onto the wood.

“Stay on this side,” he instructed. “We have to balance it, or it’ll go under.” She nodded, and he started swimming around to the other side.

As he was starting to figure out how he was going to climb on too, another man swam up to him. Ben glared at him.

“There’s not enough room,” Ben said firmly.

“Let me try at least,” the man begged, “or I’ll die soon.”

“You’ll die much sooner if you come any closer,” Ben warned him.

The man hesitated, looked at Rey, then nodded at them. “Yes…I see. Good luck to you, then.” Ben waited for him to swim off before turning back to the debris. The wooden slab pitched and rocked under his weight, and Rey clambered over to him. They clung to each other as the debris bobbed and threatened to throw them back in the freezing sea.

Then, like a miracle from heaven, it stopped. The slab stabilized, allowing them to huddle in an inch of cold water, sharing their body heat.

“The boats will come back,” Rey mumbled into Ben’s chest. He pulled her closer, hugging her tighter. She shuddered, trying to hold onto every scrap of heat still left in her body. “They have to get away from the suction, but…they’ll be back.”

He nodded, enveloping her hands in his and kissing her fingers. “Thank God for you, Rey.”

They drifted under the blazing stars, uncaring of how much time was passing. They were together, that was all that mattered. Even if the boats never came back, even if they sailed the rest of the way to New York on their own little floating boat, or if they were to freeze to death before the light of day hit them again, they had each other. That was all they’d ever need.

The water became glassy again, with only the smallest undulations from the people still stranded in it. But the screaming had stopped, the frenzy had died down. Rey could hardly move, but she didn’t need to look around them to realize what was slowly happening.

“It’s getting quiet,” Ben mumbled, sharing her thoughts.

She tried to swallow the dryness in her throat so she could speak. “Just a few more minutes. It’ll…take them a second to get the boats organized, then they’ll come back for us.”

Ben’s eyes were dull, staring at the flickering water at their feet. Her words didn’t seem to be reaching him. He couldn’t lose hope now, they had to stay positive.

“I don’t know about you,” Rey said through chattering teeth, “but I intend to write a strongly worded letter to the White Star Line about all this.”

Making a joke sucked a good portion of her energy, but it was worth it to see the shadow of a smile that appeared on Ben’s face. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling his head to rest on her chest. Her limbs were becoming stiff, and she was losing feeling in her toes, but she would see this through with Ben if it killed her.

“Rey,” Ben mumbled into her neck, “I love you.”

“Don’t do that,” Rey scolded him. “Don’t you say goodbye, not yet. You don’t give up, do you hear me?”

“I’m so cold…”

“You’re going to get out of this.” Rey fought tears, trying to keep her voice steady. “You’ll go to New York and make your own life for yourself…and…” her voice broke. “And you’re going to make lots of pretty babies, and you’ll die an old man, warm in your bed. But not here, not this night. Understand?”

“M’gonna be with you…” His voice was hardly audible.

Rey kissed his head, letting her tears mix with the icy water droplets still on her face. “Ben…winning that ticket was the best thing to ever happen to me. It brought me to you, and I will be thankful for it until my last breath.” The cold was starting to get to her, sapping her strength and trying to steal the air from her lungs. But she kept on. “Do me this honor, Ben…promise me you will survive, that you’ll never give up…no matter—no matter what happens. No matter…how hopeless.”

Ben finally managed to lift his head to look at her, and tried shifting their position to hold onto her, but they were both too weak. The shifting of their weight caused the wood under them to become unbalanced, nearly tipping them over again. With the last of his strength, Ben grabbed Rey and pulled her body to his, stretching their weight out over the piece of debris. It became stable again, and Ben wrapped himself around Rey.

“Rey, come on, stay with me,” he said, reaching a cold hand up to stroke her face.

“I’m right here,” she said, her eyes half-mast, “Promise me, Ben. Promise me you’ll live on no matter what, and never let go of that promise.”

“I promise,” he said, clinging to her tighter. Rey nodded and closed her eyes, resting her head on his chest.

It was quiet then, except for the lapping of the water. So gentle now, unbelievable that it had been roiling and frothing like a beast from hell not an hour before when it swallowed the _Titanic._ The stars reflected off the flat calm like a mill pond, and everything around them seemed so still and quiet it was almost as if they were floating in outer space.

Ben’s arms were still locked around Rey. His hair had all but frozen to the wood they were floating on, and he had to keep his hand on Rey’s back, underneath the life belt she was still wearing, to make sure that her heart hadn’t stopped beating. He mumbled a melancholic tune to himself, trying to measure how much time was passing, but he was starting to become delirious from the cold. He opened his eyes to take in the ghostly, frozen figures floating among the dark sea, still at last and forevermore.

Suddenly, they moved—no, they weren’t moving. There was a light shining behind them, making it look like they were. The silhouettes morphed and changed, and Ben blinked hard to refocus his eyes.

_“Is there anyone alive out there? Can anyone hear me?!”_

A boat. There was a boat.

There were officers searching through the crowd of the dead, calling out for anyone that might still be alive. Their voices sounded strange in Ben’s half-living state, especially after all the quiet. He hardly had any strength left, but he needed to get to them. Or he needed them to get to him.

He looked down at Rey, still in his arms. He shook her, trying to wake her. “Rey, there’s a boat!” He hissed, his voice hoarse. Rey’s eyelids fluttered, and she made a small noise, but didn’t come back to full consciousness. Ben looked at the boat, now slowly gliding past them, then back at Rey. He kissed her forehead, then laid her down on the wood. He pulled his body up as much as he could, trying to raise his arm.

“Hey…!” he tried to call out, but his voice was weak. He didn’t know if they heard him. “Help…”

By some miracle, one of the officers swung his torch and spotted Ben. “Come about!”

Ben groaned in pain as he stretched his arm higher, waving it as best he could. “Help…!”

The next minutes passed in a trance. Ben struggled with the officers as they tried to pull him into the boat, and refused to get on until they brought Rey up first. He desperately begged them, told them she was still alive, until finally, they lifted her cold body into the boat. Ben climbed in only after she’d been safely brought up. The officers threw blankets around them, and Ben clung to Rey, whispering to her as the boat continued on.

Fifteen hundred people went into the sea when _Titanic_ sank from under them. Of the twenty boats floating nearby, only one came back. Six were saved from the water, Ben and Rey among them. Six, out of fifteen hundred. And afterward, the seven hundred people in the boats had nothing to do but wait. Wait to die? Wait to live? Or wait for an absolution that would never come?

The sky turned from black to purple, then to pink and orange as dawn awaited the survivors floating silently among the waves. Ben kissed Rey when she opened her eyes to the breaking light of day, overjoyed but having no energy to show it. Icebergs floated around them like looming mountains, and among them, salvation.

The _Carpathia_ sat waiting, as the tired, traumatized people in the boats made their way aboard. The crew on deck lowered ladders and slings for those too tired to climb. Ben helped Rey into a sling, then climbed up the rope ladder beside her.

The passengers were all being cared for, wrapped in blankets and given hot broth to make them stronger. Ben and Rey were huddled together again, near the railing of the ship, looking out over the sea. They didn’t speak, just found quiet solace in being together.

They arrived in New York the night of the 15th, both standing together on the docks as rain fell. The water didn’t seem to bother them; it was nothing compared to what they’d been through. The Statue of Liberty lit up the night, standing like a guardian against the horrors they’d faced at sea, and providing hope and comfort for the future ahead of them.

Thirty thousand people lined the dock and the streets surrounding it, where the _Carpathia_ disgorged her passengers. Magnesium flashes from the cameras of photographers went off like bombs, lighting up the tattered faces of the survivors of the _Titanic_. Several hundred police struggled to keep the mob back; it was practically a circus.

Meanwhile, immigration officers were stopping the passengers as they came off the gangway, asking them questions. One officer approached Ben and Rey.

“Can I take your names, please?” he asked.

Ben looked at Rey, then back to the officer, and answered with absolute certainty: “Benjamin Solo. This is my wife, Rey.”

The man nodded without questioning it, wrote their names down, and moved on. Rey crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows at him.

“Your wife?” She asked.

“You said you didn’t have a last name,” Ben said, taking her hand to kiss it. “So…how would you like to have mine? Well, my father’s, technically.”

“...aren’t you supposed to be on one knee?”

“Maybe away from the press.” He put his hands in his pockets, and she hugged his arm as they walked along, until Ben stopped again. He pulled his hand out of his pocket, and his eyebrows shot up as he revealed to Rey what he’d found:

_The Heart of the Ocean._

* * *

 

###  **A Promise Kept**

The year was 1992. Nearly a century after the _Titanic_ sank. There’d been dozens of documentaries and hundreds of news stories, articles, and books.

And two very full lives, lived together or not at all, as promised.

The pictures lined the walls of their home on the California coast: Ben and Rey, young and beautiful, riding horses on the beach in Santa Monica. Then they were getting married in a small chapel, looking happier than they had in their whole lives. Then, there was a dramatic shot of Ben, who’d starred in small movies since they’d moved to California. And then there was Rey, standing on the wing of an airplane with her helmet under her arm, ready to fly. There was a picture of Ben in an infantry uniform during the Great War, and a picture of his joyous return a year later.

They were laughing, smiling, living. They had one, two, even three kids growing up through the pictures, as they were growing old. And they never felt worse for the wear. They’d been through hell; they could get through anything.

They both even managed to get on a boat one more time. Their eldest daughter, named for Ben’s mother, fought them tooth and nail: She said they were too old to be traveling in a transatlantic tour. But her father insisted that they were fine, and her mother told her not to worry.

They stood at the stern of the ship, a place similar to where they’d met for the first time. The years melted away as they stood in the cold night air, holding each other tight. Ben opened his hand, revealing the diamond.

“You’re sure about this?” he asked.

She smiled and stretched up to kiss his cheek. “It belongs here.”

“We could have just sold it when we found it.”

“But we got along fine without your ginger’s help.”

Ben laughed. “All these years, and you still don’t say his name.”

“Why should I?” Rey lifted her chin. “He’s beneath me.”

“No doubt.” Ben held her in his arms as he reached his arm over the rail. They were both silent as he let go, letting the diamond fall and disappear beneath the waves.

There’s no proof that heaven exists, no knowing for sure what’s on the other side when you set sail and leave this life. But as Rey fell asleep that night in Ben’s arms, as she had for eighty years, she imagined it in her dreams.

She was young again, just 19. A remarkable lace dress trailed behind her as she walked through the ornate doors— the ones that seemed burned into her memory. She passed all the people she knew on the _Titanic_ , all the familiar faces that she kept in her heart all these years. She passed Poe and Finn, her dear friends, and hugged them as she went by. Then, she reached the grand staircase. There was the landing, there was the clock, and there was Ben, just as beautiful as he always had been, as he always would be. He scooped her up in his arms, and they shared a kiss to last an eternity.

 


End file.
